


Warrior Lines

by Angelicat2



Series: Lines [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hugs, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Keith (Voltron) Needs a Hug, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, POV Allura (Voltron), Past Abuse, Past Attempted Suicide, Past Child Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Past Torture, Protective Shiro (Voltron), Scars, Team as Family, but it ends good, damn these tags are dark, past self-harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 08:15:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20224675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelicat2/pseuds/Angelicat2
Summary: At a diplomatic meeting with some aliens, they ask to use a machine that lets them see the team's scars. No one ever expected Keith to have as many as he does.





	Warrior Lines

**Author's Note:**

> My fic **White and Red Lines** explains more about Shiro finding Keith back at the Garrison if you wish to also read it. But it isn't needed to understand this fic.
> 
> Enjoy.

"We want to see your warrior lines."

Allura arches her brow as she sits at the table. They were in the middle of a diplomatic meeting, wanting to talk about alliances with the Ipecs. They were a keen race, one of warriors, both in mind and body. They were shorter than them, even Pidge. But what they lacked in height, they made up in speed and strategy. They needed that for the war efforts. 

"Warrior lines?" The princess asked softly with confusion in her voice. She was unsure about what that was. She was not familiar with this planet, as they had become a people after the destruction of...of Altea.

"Like this," one points to Shiro's nose, right where the scar his nose stands out, "A warrior line."

These people were beginning to sound like the Arusians. She hoped that none of these people would offer themselves up to a fire. Smiling at the one who pointed, she nodded.

"We can do that," the other paladins stare at her with annoyed and concerned looks. Why were they...oh, _oh._ Earthlings and their modesty, "If we can keep our clothes in the process."

"Warrior lines will show through clothes," the leader nodded to her before he began walking to the other side of the room, underneath a strange light, "You need just remove your armor. In your case, princess Allura of the Voltron lions, you may go in what you wear now."

"Wait," Keith spoke up as he glared at the leader who didn't even blink, "What if this is a trap?"

"He is right…" Shiro nodded as he sent Allura an apologetic frown, "No armor means no protection."

"You do not trust my people?" The leader asked curiously, which Shiro cringed at.

"We do," Shiro answered back before he sighed softly, rubbing at his scarred nose, "But that would not stop an attack from someone else. We would be wasting precious time if an attack came."

"That is a valid concern," the smaller alien nodded as he waved two aliens over. Both saluted him, "Tell the Black Paladin your job."

"We do surveillance of what goes on outside our planet," the one on the right speaks with a higher-pitched voice, "We will be warned ahead of time if some enemy were to come."

"Alright," Shiro reluctantly agrees before turning back to the leader, "Can you explain this a little more?"

"Why gladly," the man nods before leading them to the spot under the light, "This light can show warrior lines and past wounds. They show up through clothes, each a different color and brightness. Blue is accidental self-inflicted, green is accidental by someone else, red is those given on purpose by someone else, and white are ones done on purpose to the self. The brighter the glow, the more intense the warrior line!"

Allura could see Shiro and Keith shooting each other uneasy glances. She didn't understand why they were so reluctant to do this. Shiro, it was more understandable. The man likely had all kinds of scars from his time with the Galra. But Keith...why was he so against this? 

“And we have to do this?” Keith asked with a defeated tone, already knowing they had too but wondering anyway. Allura could see Shiro place his hand on Keith’s shoulder, ever the silent supporter, “Can we skip it?”

“You can,” the leader raised a curved brow, “But it is considered a great honor and to not do it would be a great sign of mistrust and cruelty.”

“Yeah, mullet,” Lance stepped closer and Keith glared at him, “You scared or something?”

“Or something,” Keith responded back before yanking his chest plate off with a deep scowl, “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

The leader instructed them on what to do after that. The paladins striped their outer gear, now only in the black undersuit while she stood there, already ready. They all stood under the light, which then beamed down on them all. One moment, the room was normal, the next it was black with neon lights everywhere. Allura glanced out at the crowd of aliens, seeing all kinds of glowing marks under their armor. At least they were also doing this. It really must be an important tradition.

Allura could see marks if battle on the aliens. Many were red across their silver skin, a few spots of blue and green. Some had big gashes over their faces and torsos. Others had thin marks like those from blades. She didn’t really see any white streaks, which made sense. Each wound showed up differently, some lighter than others. If Allura looked hard enough, she could see darker blots which must have been bruises at one point.

“Whoa,” Pidge stated as Allura glanced over at her Green Paladin, “What happened there, Lance?”

The princess looked at what she was talking about. Said Blue Paladin had few various cuts and scrapes along his body. They were all blue and green with a hint of red in there, where the bomb had hit him after the castle was taken over. A large blue blob was one his forehead, about half the space on his head there.

“I threw a rock,” Lance scowled as he stared at her. Hunk seemed to know this story from the side as he sent Lance a knowing smirk, trying not to laugh, “It hit a wall before flying back at me.”

“Oh my god!” Pidge laughed loudly as she rubbed her face, “Lance! How the hell did you do that?”

“I don’t know!” Lance exclaimed before he glanced at the dark red blotch on Pidge’s elbow, “What happened there?”

“I...uh…” Pidge frowned before she frowned, “I got bullied a lot when I was in middle school. A lot of the others didn’t like me and that was from being pushed into the wall on the way to class. Left a big bruise for a few weeks.”

Allura frowned. That was not nice. Why would anyone pick on Pidge? She was one of the nicest people Allura knew, if a little blunt and better with computers than people. It was clearly from someone else, since it was in red.

“Fuck them,” Hunk stated loudly as he stood closer to the two who snapped their attention to him, “Bullies are jerks. You’re way smarter than them, Pidge. Who else knows how to double-modulate like you?”

“I told you,” Pidge spoke sternly, yet there was a smile there, “Single modulation is better.”

“Well-”

“Okay, okay,” Lance waved his hands around, interrupting them, “You can geek out over single and double modulation later.”

“You just don’t get it, Lance,” Pidge rolled her eyes before sticking her tongue out, “Science.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lance rolled her own eyes before bumping the youngest with his arm, “Because I clearly don’t know anything about science, even though I became a fighter pilot.”

“Cargo pilot,” Pidge corrected as she raised a brow, “You just were put in as a fighter pilot.”

“Shush,” Lance frowned before pushing her slightly, “We don’t talk about it.”

“Whatever you say, Lance,” the girl teased back before she glanced at Hunk, “What happened there?”

“Huh?” The Yellow Paladin asked as he gazed down at his fingers. Allura could see blue all over his hands, some were obviously cuts and others were probably burns, “Oh! I accidentally burned myself a few times while baking with my mom. And cut myself a time or two when cooking. Kitchen knives are sharp, guys.”

“When did you get this?” Lance asked as he pointed at a darker red spot on Hunk’s shoulder that looked like a laser gun graze, “I don’t remember it.”

“Huh…me neither,” Hunk raised a brow before looking thoughtful. Allura herself couldn’t remember a wound like that on the other. The guy had never been in a pod before, “Must have happened when we were getting shot at. Maybe on the Balmera or something.”

“When you were protecting your lady rock friend,” Lance teased as he sent the other that weird gun finger gesture before winking, “So focused on her you didn’t notice.”

“Lance,” Hunk covered his face, blushing, “_Stop._”

“Just teasing you,” the Blue Paladin elbowed him before grinning, “Oh, hey! I remember that one! You got that from the Garrison’s training simulator.”

A long blue line ran from Hunk’s shoulder down to his elbow. 

“Oh yeah,” he laughed nervously as he glanced to the side at it, “I accidentally cut my arm open on one of the chairs when the sim tipped over. They had to change all the seats then.”

“Oh,” Pidge frowned, “That’s why the chairs are so block-shaped?”

“Yep,” Lance snickered as he hugged Hunk close, “This genius smacked right into it. Kinda like you did the floor.”

“Hey,” Pidge protested before Allura blocked her out. She hadn’t heard Shiro or Keith speak up one time in all the time the three had been bantering. Risking a glance, she could see Shiro practically blocking Keith from their view, holding onto the younger’s wrists. She couldn’t quite see Keith’s face since he was tucked into the older’s shoulder. From what she could see, bursts of color littered Shiro’s back like a star map. Most were bright red like lava and many were gruesome like they had been carved into the man’s body. From them, she could see whip lashes and bite marks. A few burns dug into the older’s skin. Light blots colored the other spots, probably bruised multiple times.

“Hey, Allura,” Lance’s voice brought her back to the younger three as the Blue Paladin waved his hand, “You in there?”

“Yes,” she gazed back at them before raising a brow, “What is it, Lance?”

“What’s with the spots?”

Allura glanced down at herself for the first time. Areas of blue and some green showed up along her front, mainly centered on her shoulders and legs. She remembered exactly what she got them from.

“Training bots,” she explained as their brows shot up in shock. She scoffed, “We Alteans are taught to train from an early age. Being a princess was no excuse. That is why I got frustrated that you couldn’t even take on the level set for a child.”

“What’s with the cut on your eyebrow?” Hunk asked worriedly as Allura reached up to her brow, “It looks painful.”

“Oh geez,” Pidge narrowed her eyes, “What did you do? Slice yourself on a table?”

Allura blushed, remembering crawling around on a tabletop when she was just five or six. Her mother had come in and shouted something that made her accidentally fall over, smashing into the hard surface on the way down. Luckily, the pods had been fully functioning and had healed her quickly.

“I snuck into the kitchens when I was a child,” she rubbed her arm sheepishly, “I wasn’t allowed in there but I did. I was concentrating on one of the dishes one of the chefs made when mother came in and I fell off the table, smashing into it on the way off. She rushed me off in her arms, taking me to Coran who put me into a pod.”

“You knew Coran even back then?” Lance asked with a raised brow, “No wonder you two are close. I thought it was just the whole being-the-last-two-Alteans thing.”

“Lance, shut up,” Pidge scowled as she slammed her fist into his ribs, making the other double over, “Maybe that will show up under the lights.”

“Young ones,” the leader interrupted them with a small exasperated sigh, “Please do not do that. Unnecessary injuries are not allowed here.”

Pidge pouted before she turned her attention to the leader.

“It’s cool that you showed us this,” she glanced down at a tiny green cut along her side, “But...uh...why? We all know our own past injuries. There’s nothing major besides...maybe Shiro.”

Her voice dipped to worry when she finally looked at the older who still was ignoring them, completely focused on the young man in front of him. Keith was still pressed close to the other, trying to stay calm as Shiro talked to him softly. Allura couldn’t make out what he was saying, but whatever he did must have been working because Keith wasn’t as tense as before.

“While I am glad you two are...being supportive of each other,” the alien addressed the two who weren’t looking. Seconds passed before they both glanced over, Shiro looking a little bit angry as his eyes stayed hard as glass. Keith glanced at them with one eye, refusing to turn his head away from the man’s chest. His ebony hair curtained his face, blocking any light from being seen by them on his face. What caught Allura off guard was the look of deep pain in that dark orb she could see. The other hadn’t looked this way even when she had been mean to him after the reveal about him being part Galra.

It left her unsettled. It also must have bothered the leader too.

“You hide,” he observed as Shiro continued to shield the younger with narrowed eyes, “Warrior lines are nothing to be ashamed of.”

Keith muttered something to Shiro who whispered back something that she still could not hear. Both stayed where they were, not moving at all other than to breathe and gaze back at them.

“We would be honored to see the warrior lines,” the leader spoke softly as he waved his hand out, “It may help your team if they were to see it. To see what warriors they have among them.”

Keith’s eyes snapped over to them, glancing at each of them before his brow moved down. He gazed back over at Shiro like he was silently asking the Black Paladin if they should. A second later, Shiro shrugged softly, barely noticeable. Keith glanced over at them again before closing his eyes, nodding. Shiro’s eyes softened in understanding before he placed his hand on the younger’s shoulder again.

“It’s going to be fine,” Shiro stated just loudly enough that she could understand what he was saying, “I’ll be here.”

“I know,” Keith frowned at him before opening his eyes, “I just...I don’t like thinking about it.”

“I know,” Shiro held onto him, offering all the support he could, “I’m not giving up on you. No matter what.”

“Thanks, Shiro,” Keith smiled just the slightest before he sighed, “Let’s...let’s just do this.”

Shiro gazed at him for a long moment, eyes worried and a frown on his lips before he nodded, turning to face them fully. Allura and the others gazed at his front now, at the scars they couldn’t see from the back. Shiro’s chest and torso were about the same as his back had been with bites and claw marks. A bright set of red sat on his missing arm, streaking like lightning up to his shoulder blade. On the same side were three large claw marks of the same color. 

The ones from Haggar that they had to put him in a pod for deca-phoebes back. Allura remembered the wicked glowing wounds he had back then right after they got free from Central Command. They had looked painful and horrible, leaching his strength. The scar on his nose lit up even brighter, almost a pink color...rather suiting if one were to go by the Altean meaning of the color. Red blots marked up his face, curving from his nose down to his jaw on both sides, a bit lighter than the rest of the bruises.

Allura didn’t like it.

“Fuck,” Pidge cursed under her breathe before she took a step closer, “Shiro, tell me that isn’t what I think it is.”

“Pidge,” Shiro stared at his own fist with cold eyes, “Things happen when you get named bloodthirsty.”

“That’s inhumane!” She growled as she looked ready to storm out of there and head straight to the nearest base to kick some Galra soldiers in the ass, “They fucking muzzled you! Like a rabid dog.”

“And I did things that I can’t take back,” Shiro frowned seriously at them, like he was trying to warn them, “When you’re in the arena long enough, you become a rabid dog, Pidge. You don’t know what I had to do to survive. And I don’t want you to know. You’re young, along with the rest of them.”

“And you’re not?” Pidge scowled at him before her face shifted into a concerned one, “You saved my brother, and I’m not going to let you forget that. You’re barely older than us!”

“Pidge…”

“No!” Pidge glared as her eyes watered, “You’re only twenty-five! Stop acting like you’re five-hundred. And you don’t have to shoulder it all. We’re a team.”

“Like Pidge said,” Allura spoke up with a nod, “We are a team. We are worried.”

“Yeah.”

“Ditto.”

Shiro frowned before he sighed softly. A moment passed before Keith’s hand landed on his arm, making the other look back at him.

“Not giving up on you either,” the younger grinned at him before it turned into a smirk, “Old Timer.”

“Keith,” Shiro chuckled softly as he ruffled the younger’s hair, “Come on...Pidge just said I’m not old. Whose opinion do I take? I’m either twenty-five or super ancient.”

“Obviously my side,” the younger laughed quietly before tugging on the robotic arm, “You’ve been my best friend way longer.”

“Hey!” Pidge glared playfully, “He’s known me longer!”

"Yeah," Keith shrugged before he raised a brow, "But he's spent way more time with me."

"Yeah, right," Pidge started before her eyes widened, "You're the cadet who-"

"Yeah," Keith's expression darkened for a moment as he nodded. Allura wanted to ask what they were talking about when the Red Paladin stepped out of Shiro's space, body lighting up much like Shiro's had.

Allura could not suppress her gasp of surprise. Dread curled in her stomach like a snake.

There were shining marks everywhere. 

Most had been bruises at one point or another. They stood out bright pink on him in spots like his stomach, right cheek, and spots on his legs. Allura swallowed dryly when she looked closer and saw what were undoubtedly hand marks on both Keith's hips and his throat, so tightly woven it looked like a deceitful necklace. A few scars cut through Keith's skin on his arms and chest and legs. They weren't as bad as Shiro's but they still chilled her to the core.

"Keith, man," Hunk spoke softly with tears in his eyes, looking two seconds from being sick, "Those...those...they aren't…"

"What else are they supposed to be, Hunk?" He asked tiredly as he stared at them. Allura now noticed the bright large blue cut across his left cheek, wondering what he could have even done to accidentally cut himself there like that, "It was from one of the foster families I lived with, years ago."

"Keith," Lance frowned, paler than normal. Allura felt the same way, "We were fifteen when we got into the Garrison. How long before that?"

"Years," Keith shrugged as he ran his thumb over his hand, tiny blue marks here and there. He had his arms crossed over his chest, hiding them, "It doesn't matter-"

"Yes, it does," Pidge interrupted as she clenched her fist, "When we get to Earth, I'm hunting down some sick bastards who need to-"

"You aren't…" Keith winced as he frowned, "It's not an issue. I'm past it."

"So past it that you still wake up mid-scream and then throw up at night?" Pidge demanded as Keith paled, eyes going impossibly wide, "Keith, the walls are thin. I should have said something. I should have comforted you. But I just sat there being an idiot and letting you have a panic attack in the middle of the night and I should know what they are like because Shiro gets them right in front of us and-"

"Pidge-" Keith tried to break her from her rambling.

"Is that why?" Pidge wondered suddenly as she stepped closer to the ebony-haired man who suddenly refused to meet her eyes, "Back at the Garrison...I heard about a cadet who…"

"Yeah, that was me," Keith stared down at his feet, "It was a hard time. I had no one, and I got super depressed. I really wasn't in a good mental state. One day, it boiled over and I was done. Everything went too far...Someone said something they didn’t even mean the way I took it and..."

"I was the one who found him," Shiro spoke after a moment. Allura gazed at the older who seemed in thought, scowl on his lips as his grey eyes stared at the Red Paladin with deep worry and affection, "It was one of the scariest days of my life. If I had been five minutes later...Well, I try not to think about that."

Keith finally let his arms be free by his sides. With a small sigh, he exposed his forearms for them to see. Long lines showed up, light white on black undersuit. The marks went all the way up to his elbows. A ragged set of brighter marks were on his wrists, cut clean through the limbs from left to right on both sides. 

“You haven’t done it since then, right?” Pidge asked softly as she stepped up to Keith’s side. Allura herself came closer as did the rest of the paladins, “I’m worried.”

“What?” Keith asked before his eyes widened. He shook his head rapidly before leaning closer to Shiro and Pidge, “No. That wasn’t the last time, but I never went that deep again. I quit a while before Shiro left, and I haven’t done it again. I’m...I’m working on it. Some days are a struggle, but I keep going.”

“And we’ll help you with it,” Lance marched up to the other, grabbing him up in a loose hug which Keith stiffened to at first before melting with a grin, “If I’m ever a jerk-”

“Which is all the time,” Keith teased back at the guy who sputtered.

“Hey! I can recall some times I was nice,” he huffed, “Like when you helped pick me up from the fight after Sendak.”

“So you do remember the bonding moment,” Keith smirked as Lance squawked, “And here I thought you were missing some brain cells.”

“BURRNNNNN!” Pidge snickered as she poked Lance who rolled his eyes, “But Lance is right. We’re your team. Your friends. Your family. We’re here to help each other, including you and Shiro.”

“Yeah, man,” Hunk sobbed out as he pressed a hug to Keith from his back, looking like a kid cuddling a teddy bear. Keith looked happy enough to snuggle back, obviously not bothered by the hug at all, “Oh, I’m gonna bake you some comfort food when we get back to the castle. 

And then the group was hugging. Most of them had tears in their eyes as they embraced. Shiro and Keith’s were dry but they both were smiling softly at them, pressed close to one another. Allura almost laughed as she glanced down at the hand Keith was sneaking to Shiro’s hip. She understood the other three’s frustration well now when it came to these two. She hugged Keith and Pidge closer, smirking into the other’s black hair. The leader hadn’t been wrong.

They did have warriors among them. With lots of warrior lines and even more strength.

“So does this mean Keith can punch you if you’re a jerk?”

Allura laughed as Lance squealed loudly.

“Hey! No! Why am I the one getting punched?”

“You offered.”

“I did not! I was going to say that he could yell at me.”

“No, you were definitely going to say that you were going to let Keith punch you.”

“Pidge!”

“Haha! Whenever I invent Rover again, that will be the first thing I make happen.”

“Hey!”

Allura rolled her eyes at their playful interactions. In the meantime, she noticed that Shiro and Keith were still hugging each other, watching the others and perfectly content to stay there for a moment. Glancing around, she was surprised to see that their hosts were all gone, giving them privacy. The lights were also off, making everything back to normal. The leader from before stood in the doorway, flashing her a knowing look before he left them to their own.

“Ow!” Lance shout made her turn back to see Pidge punching him in the arm, “Why are you punching me? You said Keith could!”

“So you admit Keith can!”

“Pidgeee,” he groaned as he glared at her flatly, “I admitted no such thing.”

Pidge only chuckled wickedly.

“Tell them, Shiro!” The Blue Paladin rushed over to the other who just smiled, “No. Oh nooo. Not you too.”

“I mean…” The man smirked before placing his hand on Keith’s shoulder, “You might have been ready to say something else…”

“Oh thank god,” Lance sighed before Shiro chuckled.

“But you probably were going to say that Keith could punch you,” the group busted out laughing at Lance’s expense. Allura found herself also laughing as she gently punched the other’s shoulder.

“What is this?” Lance mock scowled, “Punch Lance day?”

“If you want it to be,” Hunk teased as he raised his fist, heading for the other’s shoulder before just tapping it, “But nah. I’m your best friend, I wouldn’t do that.”

“Thank you, Hunk!” Lance hugged him, practically climbing on top of him in his excitement, “Thank you, thank you, thank you. At least someone is in my corner.”

“Oh my quiznak…”

“So dramatic…”

“That’s Lance for you…”

“Hey, you guys love me!”

“As much as I hate to say it...he’s not wrong…”

“Let’s just get back to the castle,” Allura spoke up as she smiled at them, “If I remember correctly, there is a spring nearby that you guys thought we should visit for a bit.”

“Yay!”

“A break! Not...not that being a defender isn’t uh...fun or anything.”

“Finally!”

“I guess that would be good.”

“A little vacation time never hurt anyone.”

“We best be going then,” Allura nodded for the door which the three youngest rushed for, already out the room before she could finish her sentence. Shiro and Keith hung back for a moment, sharing an amused look before shrugging sheepishly and running off to catch up. The princess raised a brow before she also gave in, racing after the two as laughter echoed before her.

**Author's Note:**

> I think I may add more to this fic series...maybe them at the hot springs and Keith having one of his nightmares like Pidge said.


End file.
